Hockey, Mind Chaos (Capitol)
Sep 8, 2009 3:39 PM, Kristi Kates
Retrofied and rockin'
Portland, Ore., buzz band Hockey puts an impressively modern twist on '80s beats and synths via its new set, Mind Chaos, which definitely lives up to what all the advance chatter has been about.
Opener "Too Fake" begins all Flock of Seagulls before invoking New York rockers The Strokes via singer Benjamin Grubin's higher-pitched (but still swaggering) vocals and off-the-cuff spoken-word moments. "3 AM Spanish" folds a Chuck D–style rap melody around electro handclaps. And the album's standout track, "Song Away," sings of "small-town music and big-town music" with a sound so huge and immediately familiar that it seems destined to be a sing-along, hold-up-those-cell-phones anthem. "Work" effectively cribs (but doesn't copy) from both Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" and "Wild Wild Life."
Elsewhere on this ultimately danceable set, "Learn to Lose" offers up an unforgettable, effervescent hook, fitting nicely next to "Put the Game Down"'s Casio-pong beat and spiky guitars and "Curse This City"'s funkier, Beck-like, more urban feel. Wrap it all up in the band's remarkably confident arrangements, and you've got a winner. [4.5 out of 5 stars]
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